In recent weeks I have been attempting to print some documents I have been sent as attachments. simple documents ie; .pdf .doc .xls and to my surprise every cafe I have entered has neither Excel or Adobe Acrobat Reader and to my amazement not even Word...

Does anyone know anywhere good that has legal copies of these elementary programs, Photoshop would really be helpful too.

Regards

Good Guy

Have my own machines so never run in to it, but you might like to try a hotel Business Suite/Centre (pick a big American type hotel) - they may have machines business equipt (MS Office etc).

Kinkos Express on Silom, near soi 13. has all the equipment.

ASIC

Microsoft has been making the rounds with the police checking licenses on software, at least out in the provinces. I suspect they hit Bangkok first hence the lack of software as most internet cafes use pirated software since the real stuff is far too expensive for them to afford a license for each computer. Trust Microsoft & the Thai police to crack down on the little guy while the people who make and distribute the pirated software continue business as normal. However, adobe acrobat is free to use so perhaps they just took everything off their computers out of fear.

An Internet café near me had to pay a fine of ฿100000 for having unlicensed software and that was in a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere.

Were they copying and selling pirates too?

Heard there's some big fines (and equipment confiscations) if caught.

Microsoft has been making the rounds with the police checking licenses on software, at least out in the provinces. I suspect they hit Bangkok first hence the lack of software as most internet cafes use pirated software since the real stuff is far too expensive for them to afford a license for each computer. Trust Microsoft & the Thai police to crack down on the little guy while the people who make and distribute the pirated software continue business as normal.

And yet if you buy a computer from a major chain, coming from a major manufacturer you can bet it will come with an unlicensed copy of windows and will be rammed with other unlicensed software (office, photoshop, games, etc.). Wonder why they never get busted???

Were they copying and selling pirates too?

Heard there's some big fines (and equipment confiscations) if caught.

Not the ones down here, just little internet cafes running unlicensed software on their computers. Perhaps if Microsoft made their products a tad more reliable and less expensive they would have less piracy.

Sorry, just woke up and realized I must have been dreaming